Besan ki Roti (Gramflour flat bread)

Asslamo Alaikum,

Besan or Gramflour is one of the most used flour in desi families ,its really amazing how so many different dishes you can create with it for example a big variety of Pakoras,fried snacks like Sev ,flat breads,naan,pancakes,karhi  ,dhokla, papar and many more!!

Besan is said to have lots of benefit for diabetic patients a it  leads to reductions in blood sugar and insulin concentrations and its gluten -free too.

Today I’m sharing a recipe of besan ki roti which i grew up eating and enjoyed it a lot, specially with the chutney or salad mixture made with chopped up onions,green chillies ,salt and mustard oil yummy!!

BESAN KI ROTI

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Besan or gram flour   2 cups

whole wheat flour   1 cup

Onion 1/2 finally chopped

Cumin seed or Zeera   1 tsp

Ajwain or carom seed 1/4 tsp

Cilantro chopped  1/2 bunch

salt

green chili chopped 1/8 cup or to taste

water

Oil 2tbsp

Direction:

Mix together besan,whole wheat flour,onion

 

cilantro,cumin seed,Ajwain,salt , Oil and green chili

                                                   

                                        Now ad water little by little forming soft sticky dough,

                                         let it rest in the fridge for 15-20 mins so easier to handle

                                                   

Heat a tawa or griddle on a medium high heat

make 5-6 medium sized balls from the dough

                                                        

                                                       roll out the ball to form a 8 inch thick flat bread use

                               wheat flour for dusting and easier rolling as dough is going to be very

                                  sticky

                                                        

                                  Put the bread on the hot  griddle

                                                            

                                let it cook for 2-3 min until you see brown speck on the bottom side

                                                            

                                                            turn it over and cook the other side

                                                           

                                                       to make onion and green chili chutney

                               mix together 1/2 chopped onion,green chili,little bit chopped cilantro                                                                                           andsalt

                                                             then add 1/4 cup mustard oil

                                                                   

                                                                     Serve hot rotis with the chutney and enjoy!!!

Chicken Samosa

Assalamo Alaikum,

I wanted to share this post that i make me quite excited with my fellow readers,

“As we enter the month of Rajab, we are reminded of the need to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan.

“The month of Rajab is the month of planting, Sh’aban the month of watering and Ramadan the month of harvesting.”

“The month of Rajab is like the wind, Sh’aban is like the rain clouds and Ramadan is like the rain”

This is a beautiful reminder. We cannot expect to harvest in Ramadan if we fail to plant the seeds of goodness in Rajab and nurture the goodness in Sh’aban.

O Allah, bless us with the ability to work righteous deeds in this month and the next. Help us reach Ramadan in a state that we are ready to harvest.

(Abu Bakr Muhammad bin ‘Omar al-Warraq al-Balkhi al-Hakim (d.243 AH), quoted by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d.795 AH) in his book regarding the virtues of the different months and the deeds one should strive to carry out in them; Lataif al-Ma’arif)” 

Ramadan is coming oh!! i cannot wait for Ramadan,MashAllah this month somehow puts a magical spell on me for example  the stuff i struggle to do during rest of the year Ramadan makes it easy on me my spiritual energy becomes amazing ,this Ramadan I’m praying that  i have the same energy all year long in Sha Allah:).So i’m starting early as above quote states and in sha Allah with the help of Allah Subhana wa tallah!!

Food is an important part of Pakistani family and every occasion has its own special dishes like samosas if i make samosa other then Ramadan everybody would say it feels like Ramadan,
Ramadan is incomplete without Samosas. I’m sharing my tasty chicken samosas which i usually make ahead of Ramadan in large quantities (as i can be easily frozen ),so i have to spend less time cooking and more time praying in sha Allah.

Chicken Samosa

Recipe

Ingredients:

Dough:

All purpose flour  2 cups

salt 1 tsp or to taste

oil or ghee     4 tbsp

water enough to make a semi soft dough

Filling:

Chicken Qeema  1 pd

Onion sliced one medium

Oil 2 tbsp

Ginger paste  1 tsp

Garlic paste   1 tsp

Chili powder  1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Salt to  taste 

Cumin seeds   1/2 tsp

Frying:

Oil        2-3 cups

Direction:

Mix Flour and salt together

then add oil and mix thoroughly

now add water little by little to form a semi soft dough (not very hard and not very soft)

leave to rest for at least 15 mins.

In a saute pan heat oil for filling and add sliced onion

fry until golden brown

Now add chicken qeema and then ginger and garlic paste ,

Add chilli powder , tumeric,salt and cumin seeds, cook on high until brown

Lost the picture of ready qeema 😦

Make golf ball size  balls from the dough and using rolling pin roll out the balls in  8 inch circle

Cut in the middle of the circle

Fold one side over like this

then apply water on the side and flip over the other side ,pinch it from top to bottom so it sticks

hold it in your hand like a cone

add about 2 tbsp of filling and apple water on top edges of the samosa

press together the mouth of samosa to close it so it wont open up while frying, at this point you can place the samosas on a flour tray and freeze until hard ,then place them in zip-lock bag and defrost and fry as many as you want ( you can freeze samosas in layers on a tray by using wax paper or plastic bag in between)

 Heat oil in a deep wok or Karahi on medium high heat and then fry samosas on medium low until golden brown

strain them out in big strianer to remove excess oil

Serve hot with delicious green chutney and enjoy!!

Shami Kabab (beef patties)

                                    

Asslamo Alaikum,

With such a busy life MashAllah there are some days when you miss your home country a lot where its much easier with  family support or just keeping a maid won’t be very expensive right or you can just wish for a magic wand  that you  wave  and all the dishes, laundry ,cleaning and food are done!! but we don’t have any of these luxuries  here in a far far away land( sighh… )

I think i should get back to reality that there is a huge load of laundry, dishes to wash and food that needs to be prepared but there comes a aha moment when you remember you have some shami kababs in your freezer,ok let me explain you the importance of shami kabab in the freezer of a desi (or mostly Pakistani) homemakers  is that you can fry them when you have an unexpected guest , or you want a quick meal you can make Shami burger, Shami sandwich , Shami kabab  with daal and chawal(Riceor just shami kabab with ketchup you will survive !!(in sha Allah)

So i would recommend you to make some of these and have them in your freezer so when you are in a situation like me right now,there will be no magic wands needed at least for the food!!(right)

SHAMI KABAB

Recipe

Ingredients

Stew beef 2 pd

Chana daal 2 cups  ( washed)

Onion 1/2 medium sliced

Ginger 1 inch piece

Black pepper corn 10-12

Whole red chilies  3-4

Cloves  6-8

Bay leaf  2-3

Cinnamon stick 1/2 inch

Black cardamom  2

Green cardamom 1-2

Cilantro 1 bunch chopped

Onion 1/2 medium chopped

Green Chilies  3-4 chopped

Salt to taste

Eggs  1-2

Oil for shallow frying

Direction:

In a pressure cooker ( you can cook it in a regular pot but it will take longer) add  meat,chana daal,sliced onion,whole spices i.e black pepper,cloves,bay leafs,cardamom and cinnamon

Also add whole red peppers and ginger

Add enough water to cover meat  and cook on high for 30 mins until meat is completely tender

Cook on high to dry up any leftover water

Let this mixture cool,remove bay leaf  ,cinnamon stick

In a food processor grind the mixture until smooth and you see no big pieces.check for salt right now before you add raw egg

Add in an egg ,chopped cilantro,green chillies and onion

Now shape them into patties small or large your choice

Place them on a tray and freeze them ,after completely frozen put them in a ziploc bag and fry whenever you need.

There two ways to fry one is after defrosting  shallow  fry them until brown and crispy yum!!

Second way is to after defrosting dip it in whisked eggs and shallow fry ,these kind are mostly used between toasted buns  with  onion,salad,tomatoes,green chutney and ketchup yum yum that’s called Shami burger!!

Boneless Chicken Yakhni Pulao (Boneless Chicken Broth Pilaf)

Assalamo Alaikum,

Growing up in Pakistani family, food has always been a big part of our lives actually if I say that our lives revolves around food won’t be a lie . Thinking about it right now when I’m a little conscious about what I’m eating we ate lots of unhealthy food but still it was mostly from scratch homemade and with lots of love and care ,I believe that we cannot even compare those delicious food with our so called healthy food available in store home cooked is always best and is going to be best forever:)

 

Today ‘m sharing with you a little easier version of my all time favorite comfort food that is Yakhni Pulao ,i bet if you have ever had Yakni Pulao you know that goat Yakhni Pulao taste much better then chicken one !! Today’s boneless chicken Pulao will taste if not better same as goat Pulao ( which take longer cooking process) as I’m using beef broth which i had made earlier..

in sha Allah.Before I get started  with another rant lets get to our tasty recipe!!

Boneless Yakhni Pulao

Ingredients:

2 pd boneless chicken leg

1 medium Onion Sliced thinly

!/2 cup yogurt

1 bay leaf

6-8 cloves

6-8 black pepper corn

2-4 green cardamom

1-2 black cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground mace

2 cups Basmati Rice

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

3 cups Beef broth

Salt to taste

2  green chillies

1/4 cup oil or butter

fried onions (optional)

chopped mint leaves (optional)

Direction:

Wash and soak the rice for atleast an hour

In a big pot heat oil or butter and fry onion until golden brown

Add whole spice and fry until fragrant

Now add chicken and fry until light brown

Now add ginger and garlic paste and fry some more

Then add green chillies,nutmeg ,mace and yogurt and cook it covered on medium heat until almost tender

Now add soaked rice and cook on medium heat for 2 mins

Now add broth and bring to boil

And then lower heat and cook on simmer until all the water is absorbed and rice is tender

With light hand and slotted spatula mix the rice around garnish with fried onions and chopped mint leaves

Serve with Raita and salad and enjoy!!

Assalamo-Alaikum,

Today I’m going to share a secret with you so please keep it to you(shh) ,cooking was never a big passion for me until i got married and mind you i had an excuse i got married when i was “eighteen”!!!so no experience literally. So here I was a newbie cook(by the way i loved baking but desi homes don’t run on baking lol)  and in a foreign country living with desi food fan,with no help in sight except the one and only “Shan” masala’s just imagine oh wow Alhamdulilah that time also passed but slowly i realized, that there’s more to it I can create food specially desi food by grinding up spices and as long as i know the right ratio with lots of hits and misses i learned a lot. Still i depend on some ready made spice for some dishes but slowly and steadily I’m learning.At this moment i would love to give credits to my mom,my late mother-in-law,sisters and Skype (ever since Skype communication has been changed from here to anywhere)

Oh by the way i have  learned a lot from blogs and videos also!!So i want to give back what i have learned so a newbie like me would benefit from it in sha Allah!!

Here is a recipe of simple Chicken Salan that can be useful for everyday cooking.You can add potatoes to it also would taste great, today I’m sharing  the recipe without it.

Chicken Ka Salan

Ingredients:

Chicken whole cut into medium sized pieces

Onion  1/2 medium sliced

Onion 2 medium ground

Bay leaf 2

Cloves   6

Black pepper whole 6

Black cardamom  1

Cinnamon   1/4 inch stick

Green cardamom 2

Coriander powder 2 tsp

Cumin powder 2 tsp

Red chili powder  1 tsp

Salt to taste

Garlic paste 1 tbsp

Ginger paster 1 tbsp

Oil 3-4 tbsp

Direction:

Heat Oil in big wok or Karahi and fry whole garam masala or spice until fragrant ,then add sliced onion and fry until golden brown

then add chicken pieces and fry on high heat until they change color

Now add garlic and ginger paste and fry for few more minutes

then add Salt,chili powder,coriander powder and cumin powder,cook on high for 2-3 minutes

Now add ground onion and cook on high until oil seperates,add 1/2-1 cup water

After this you can add pieces of peeled Potatoes if desired.

Bring to boil and simmer on low heat until chicken is tender and oil is seperated from the gravy and gravy is thickened

Serve with Naan or vegetable pulao and enjoy!!!

Payazo aka Besan pakora (onion pakoras)

Assalamo alaikum,

Living in Karachi rain was always a big blessing ,it use to change the whole environment . everybody seems to look very happy as the heat levels go down due to down pour or may be a little drizzle.everybody found an excuse to not to do anything,kids would ask for day off from school and just enjoy the weather!!
Pakoras are must for this kind of weather ,as it rained here in southern California a much needed rain it reminded me of Karachi when it use to rain after quite while , i had to run to my kitchen to make  pakoras.I decided to make “Payazo”a very common and famous kind of pakoras which has lots of onion .i decided to do a little twist i used half shredded zucchinis and half thinly sliced onions,these crunchy on the outside and soft inside pakoras were so delicious with coriander chutney and  hot cup tea !!
i hope you guys will try these too and enjoy it even with or without rain:)

PAYAZO

ingredients:

Besan or gram flour  1 cup

onion 1 thinly sliced

Zucchini 2  medium size  shredded

zeera or cumin seeds  1 tsp

ajwain or              1/4 tsp

crushed red chili pepper 1/2 tsp or to taste

turmeric powder  1/4 tsp

salt to taste

fresh cilantro chopped  1/2 bunch

green chilies (optional)

water

oil for frying

Direction:

mix together besan (gram flour),salt,crushed red chilies,turmeric,ajwain ,zeera ( cumin seeds),

now add shredded zucchini and sliced onion to this and mix well using your hand until onion and zucchini is completely covered with dry besan

now add little water a time to make a thick batter

heat oil on a medium high heat

add a little drop of batter,if it browns right away oil is too hot

oil should be hot enough if you put your batter in it ,it should sizzle  but gets brown in a while

drain on paper towel

these should be crunchy outside and soft but not doughy and oily inside

serve hot with cilantro chutney, cup of hot tea and enjoy!!

Lauki channa daal (Bottle gourd and bengal gram lentil curry)

Assalamo alaikum,

As a Muslim our believe is” there is no God but Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)” and with this believe we love our prophet actually all the prophets including Jesus “Prophet Essa”
And follow their teachings.

Its been said that Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) loved “Bottle gourd“so we love it too and also being a vegetable this one has lots of nutritious value , no wonder our beloved Prophet loved it !!
Today im making one of my favorite dish which healthy and tasty as well!!

LAUKI CHANNA DAAL

ingredients:

1 medium sized lauki or bottle gourd
1 cup chana daal or yellow lentil soaked in water for 2-3 hrs
1 medium sized onion sliced thinly
1 tsp garlic paste
1 ginger paste
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
3-4 whole red chilies
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tbsp oil
water

direction:

peel and slice bottle gourd into cubes

on a medium high heat ,heat the oil

add whole red chillies and cumin seeds for a few seconds

add sliced onion and cook until softened

now add garlic and ginger paste and cook until fragrant

its time for spices add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt don’t add garam masala yet and cook a few seconds

now drain water out of chana daal and with cubed lauki add it too onion mixture

stir fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes

add water enough to cover the daal and lauki

cook until daal and lauki both are tender for 15-20 mins

sprinkle cilatnro and garam masala powder and simmer on low heat

serve with white rice or naan and enjoy!!

Kairi ka sharbat (green mango drink)

 

Assalamo alaikum,

Summer is here which brings us lots of fun, delicious fruits too specially mango .It is known to be king of fruits and why not it is super yummy umm… now my mouth is watering ,growing up in Pakistan we had the luxury to have such an amazing and delicious mangoes my favourite in Sindhri !!! Before I get carried away with my mango stories let me get back to my post ,we desi’s know that there is another aspect of mangoes that we admire ,when it is still raw not ripened yet it is super sour and used it in various pickles and chutneys .

Allah has lots of medicinal benefits in raw mangoes ,it protects us from the scorching heat so it’s very common in subcontinent to make kairi ka Sharbat or Aam Panna (as it’s called in India ) .it was a must when kairi or raw mangoes were available to make kairi ka Sharbat to beat the heat ,my mom use to make a big batch and we use to enjoy it all summer long !!!because green mango or kairi is available for certain period of time.

The tradition still goes on in my home in Southern California ,so when I saw raw Mango at my local Indian store I was already planing for kairi ka Sharbat and chutney (recipe coming soon)!!

Kairi ka Sharbat:

Recipe :

2-3 Medium size kairi or raw mango

Sugar 2 cups or as needed

Water

Lemon juice (optional)

 

Direction:

Cook covered, unpeeled and washed raw mangoes on tawa or griddle until they soft to touch

 

Set the mangoes aside and let it cool

Now it’s time to get messy ,peel the mangoes and squeeze out the pulp

Now cook this pulp with sugar until sugar is fully In cooperated

Now let this mixture cool and blend it in a blender at this point cooled mixture can frozen for upto three months or kept in refrigerator for 2-4 weeks

To make a glass of Sherbet ,pour 2-3 tbsp of this pulpy mixture in a glass, then add ice ,water and sugar if needed and mix well or blend it in blender for frothy Icy drink yumm!! At this point splash of lemon juice could be added for little sour twist 🙂

We are enjoying Refreshing Kairi ka Sharbat at Iftar time during Ramadan ,I hope you all will enjoy it too!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paratha ( layered flat bread)

Assalamo alaikum,

I miss so many thing living overseas my family ,relatives,my city and food ,oh those delicious Tikkas ,halwa poori ,jalebees and Pathan ka paratha and list goes on and on .specially on lazy weekends when you wake up and don’t want to cook anything(I love to cook but just some days !!!)you feel like have fried egg and pathan ka paratha really that stuff crunchy chewy wow I’m like day dreaming right now,wish I could fly to Karachi and eat some of the yummy food!!

Paratha are very famous for breakfast specially for Suhoor in Ramadan ,my sister recently told me a trick that changed my paratha significantly and somewhat taste came closer to parathas in karachi (city in Pakistan ).Today I’m sharing this recipe with you guys one more thing I have never frozen these parathas but I’m going to do so ,I will update on this blog post if it was successful or not!!

I did freeze theses cooked paratha in a gallon sized ziplock bag laid flat and when I needed just defrosted in microwave for thirty seconds and then cook in frying pan no oil ,they were really good so I will surely make and freeze some for Sehri time!!!

Paratha

All purpose flour 4 cups +1/2 cup extra

Salt 1 tsp

Water (enough to make a soft dough)

Oil 1/4 cup + extra for frying the parathas

 

Directions:

Mix flour and salt

Now make soft dough with flour and water

Let the dough rest for 15-30 mins

Make a thick mixture using oil and flour and set aside

Heat your griddle or tawa on medium high heat

Make balls out of dough a little bit bigger than golf ball size

Roll the ball out in a circle and spread oil and flour mixture on it

Make cut in circle from bottom to the middle

Now pick up the cut bottom and start rolling it to form a cone

Now flatten it and leave to rest ( this will make rolling easier) while you make prep others

Roll prepared dough balls into 8 inch round

Cook on one side for few seconds

Then flip over spread one teaspoon oil

Flip again spread one teaspoon oil on other side

Cook until both side cooked and have crunchy brown flecks on both sides

Serve hot with sunny side eggs (that’s the way I like it) and enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Bundgobi Mix Subzi (cabbage stir fry)

Assalamo alaikum,

There are days in life when you want to keep things simple and easy we are living in a time when everybody is very busy to some extent that it becomes a problem that you are too busy to give time to your family specially your parents when you are married and have kids ,but as Allah says in quran:

“… And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.” (17:23, 24)

So we have to be very careful to make sure we are taking proper care of your parents in sha Allah!!!

Cooking is something I enjoy a lot but sometimes it’s take great effort and amount of time to put together a good dish,but to make things easy I have delicious yet simple vegetarian recipe for you guys,which I have made several times and every times it comes out good and one more thing about it is that it’s light too goes great with chapatis(thin whole wheat flat breads).

So here it goes I hope you will enjoy as much as I do!!

 

Ingredients :

Oil 2 tbsp

Curry leaves 3-4

Zeera (Cumin seeds)1/2 tsp

Ajwain (carom seeds)1/8 tsp

Onion 1 small sliced

Coleslaw mix 2 cups

Green onion sliced 1/2 cup

Green chilli 1 sliced

Mushroom sliced 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper 1/8 tsp or to taste

 

Directions:

 

Heat oil in a wok or karahi

Add curry leaves cook until fragrant

Now add cumin ,carom seeds cook for about a minute

 

 

Add sliced onion and cook until translucent not brown

 

Now add coleslaw mix, green onion (reserve some for garnishing),sliced green chillies and sliced mushrooms

 

Cook on high heat for a minute or two ,then add salt

Now bring it to simmer and may add a splash of water

And cook it covered for 10 minute until tender.

Cook on high heat for a minute or two if too watery

Garnish it with some sliced green onions.

Serve with chapati and enjoy